ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hi, I have had a Beogram 4004 for several years and I've had a lot of trouble with it. I initially bought it off of someone on craigslist who told me the deck was in perfect working order and he had just had it serviced at L&M electronics in daly city. Soon after i got the table i started noticing issues with the speed. It would intermittently slow down slightly before pitching back up while playing records. this problem was most noticeable while playing 45's. Tried to contact the guy through email and phone to no response. So I decided to invest even more money in this table and took it back over to L&M electronics to be repaired. They performed 240 dollars worth of repairs on the table and said it was good to go. This was several years ago. In these 2 years the table has seen VERY little use as i havent had a place for it and its been sitting at my parents house. Recently I was able to bring it up and much to my dismay when I put on a 45 the table did the exact same thing where the platter would intermittently slow down. Extremely frustrated I contacted L&M, they told me that id have to take it in again and I could expect to pay more money. I cant afford to keep putting money into this table and I'm not convinced that it was ever even "fixed". How common is this problem and how likely is it that I would encounter it again even if it was properly repaired? Id appreciate any advice or insight. What do you feel I should do? Thanks
Hi Slough, the relays are starting to age in these decks now so need replacing. I use a 24v osram unit which is hermetically sealed. The only caveat is that you have to translate the pins as nothing matches the originals as far as I am aware! In fact, if your relay is the big fat type then it won't even be a symmetrically laid out DPDT! This had me scratching my head at first lol! Anyway I normally mount and glue upside down on the board and mount wires between the relevant pins.
So yes start by replacing the relay not worth cleaning as the contacts oxidise quickly again. Also, the trimmers will probably need replacing with 10mm types. Again I use Phier units which are good quality and again sealed.
Also relube the bearings of the motor with good quality machine oil (singer is a favourite!) - I dismantle the motors if I can but it depends which ones you have, and how confident you feel, so probably best to apply directly to the part where the shaft comes out of the motor body.
The electrolytics could be faulty but work on the above first and I am willing to be it will be ok :)
Olly
Have the motor trimmers been replaced?
Jacques
I have had the same problem with my first Beogram 4002 back in 2009.
My tech replaced the trimmers, a couple of capacitors and the speed change relay (oxidized contacts), still works flawlessly.
Vinyl records, cassettes, open reel, valve amplifiers and film photography.
I'm not sure what has been replaced, here is a breakdown of what my invoice was for the repairs. I dont feel qualified to perform any repairs on this device myself but I also dont want to take it in again to not be repaired properly.
SERVICE AND PARTS DESCRIPTION QTY PART NUMBER PRICE AMOUNT
CLEANED AND LUBED UNIT
MECHANICAL ALINGMENT
ALIGNED AND SET ELECTRICAL ADJUSTMENTS
REPLACED BAD ELECTRONIC COMPONENT(S)
REPLACED MECHANICAL PART(S)
RAN ON TEST - OK
TOTAL LABOR AMOUNT $185.00 $185.00
PLATTER BELT 1 $20.00 $20.00
Chemicals 1 $5.00 $5.00
SERVO BELT 1 $20.00 $20.00
Transistor 1 $6.00 $6.00
Wow, $20 for a servo belt. That is quite expensive for such a small size. Furthermore, he only replaced one transistor according to the bill. A normal service would also include the trim pots and at least some of the red capacitors that are prone to failure.
I suspected that I was shorted when it came to the repairs. I have been emailing the technician who has been rather rude in his replies and only replying to them after I sent them several times. Should I inquire about why he didnt perform any repairs on the trim pots or red capacitors?
To be fair, a normal workshop would not carry out blanket replacements unless they new something was wrong - they may have sprayed cleaner into the trimmers and adjusted the speed (would be surprised if anything else tbh) the fact that your speed is fluctuating on 45 and ok for 33(?) every time I have seen that it has been the relay. Try tapping the visible bit of the PCB board lightly with the insulated end of a screwdriver while watching a strobe disk I bet you will see the fluctuations!
I wouldn't go back to the previous repair agent if they have been rude - they should look after you especially if the player is showing the same symptoms before you originally took the thing in!
I just tried this, are you suggesting to tape the PCB while a record is playing? It didnt seem to have any effect when i did this. I noticed the belt seems to be running strangely and platter is kind of bobbing up and down if i look at it down from eye level. how do I properly put the belt on this table?
even with the belt removed i can notice that there is an inconsistency in the motion of the platter by just twisting it in the center with my fingers. Could this be the issue?
slough: even with the belt removed i can notice that there is an inconsistency in the motion of the platter by just twisting it in the center with my fingers. Could this be the issue?
Inconsistency ???, warping or not running freely. Did you check the platter height. Pics if possible
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
Sounds odd. No scraping I assume? Transit screws undone? You said the speed issues were intermittent, if there was a mechanical issue such as you are talking I should imagine the fault would be permanent, or at least consistent!
Are there any noises whilst the platter is turning (under power)?
Which platter have you got have you got a small approx. 4" sub platter with a belt that goes directly on the heavy record platter or have you got a large approx. 8" sub platter which the belt goes on and then a lighter record platter that sits on top of that?